NADRA app and expats

The free issuance of the Proof of Life Certificate through NADRA's Pak-ID Mobile App is an excellent step. Through this system, biometric verification (facial and fingerprints) can be completed, and pensioners no longer need to visit the bank. The Proof of Life Certificate is automatically transferred to the pension controller. While overseas Pakistanis are very happy with this facility, the government has done only half the job, as this verification has not been linked with the National Bank of Pakistan. The situation is that the bank accounts of overseas Pakistanis become dormant after about six months. For example, my own pension account has been dormant for the past ten months. The Proof of Life Certificate sent through the Pak-ID Mobile App does reach the pension controller and keeps the pension active, but because there is no link between this app and the pensioner's bank account, the dormant account stays inactive until the overseas pensioner personally visits the bank, completes biometric verification, and gets a cheque cashed. It goes without saying that it's not possible for every expatriate to travel to Pakistan every year to keep their bank account active. Therefore, the government and NADRA should ensure that just as the Proof of Life Certificate has been linked with the pension system, the same biometric verification is also linked with the NBP's biometric verification system. Khalid Malik Canada